Group Rides

* Please visit our Google Group for ride information & community discussion.

THE GROUP RIDE

The Group Ride is all about the camraderie, the talk between fellow cyclists while riding two abreast, the banter at the rest stops, the technique training for the newer riders and a safe and graceful peloton. The following sums up our position on the group ride…

“Before the internet, before custom bikes, and before Lance, it was done better. Learning to ride was an apprenticeship. The goal was to become a member of the peloton, not merely a guy who is sort of fast on a bike. Membership was the point, not to be the local Cat. 5 champ. You were invited to go on group ride if you showed a interest and a willingness to learn. You were uninvited if you did not. You learned the skills from directly from the leader, who took an interest in riding next to you on your first rides (and not next to his friends, like better riders do today). Here is some of what you learned:

To ride for months each year in the small ring.
To start with a humble bike, probably used.
To pull without surging.
To run rotating pace line drills and flick others through.
To ride through the top of a climb.
To hold your line in a corner.
To stand up smoothly and not throw your bike back.
To give the person ahead of you on a climb a little more room to stand up.
To respect the yellow line rule.
To point out significant road problems.
To brake less, especially in a pace line.
To follow the wheel in front and not overlap.

The ride leader and his lieutentants were serious about their roles, because the safety of the group depended on you, the weakest link. If you did not follow the rules, you were chastised harshly. If you did, you became a member of something spectacular. The Peloton.”  Many thanks to Peter Wilborn, author and bike lawyer.

SUNDAY INTERMEDIATE/ADVANCED ROAD RIDE: 8:30 AM

Our Sunday ride is a 40-mile, moderately paced ride that emphasizes group riding techniques. Those new to group riding are welcome as we regroup throughout the ride so that nobody is left behind. This is a pure GROUP road ride and we try to maintain and sustain the group throughout the 40 mile course. For those who want something a bit more aggressive, there is also a longer (60+) and more intense ride, again leaving nobody behind. We meet at the shop at 8:30 and the ride departs by 8:45.  We will cancel the ride when the roads are not safe to ride. Come out and join us, we look forward to seeing you!   Check out the route here

SATURDAY INTRODUCTORY ROAD RIDE: 10:00 AM

The Bike Rack also offers a Saturday ride to compliment our Sunday shop ride. This ride meets at the shop at 10:00 am on Saturdays and departs by 10:15. Our goal in creating this ride is to have a well rounded selection of rides for everyone in the community. The Saturday ride is more of an introductory ride and will cater to the following: road riders who are new to the sport, hybrid riders intimidated by the faster pace of the Sunday ride, and anyone who just wants a shorter (approx. 20 to 30 miles) and slower (12 to 14 mph) pace.   Check out the route here

Rules of the Road for Group Rides.

Important things to know for any group ride:

• Make sure your bike is in good working condition (it has been recently tuned up)
• Helmets are mandatory
• Bring a water bottle or two
• Carry a spare tube in the event of a flat
• Have fun.

A Testimonial From a Member of the Sunday Group Ride:

To all the Lurkers out there who don’t think they can ride with the BikeRackDC Sunday group -

I represent one of the older (and fatter) riders, who each week think the young and VERY thin (bordering Hollywood bulimic imho) riders are going to leave the stragglers in the dust. The fact is, almost ANY regular rider in the area would enjoy a BikeRackDC ride on Sunday’s. Especially if you like friendly people to ride with.

The first part of the ride is an easy pace through the district and if you can find yourself in the middle of the pack going down MacArthur road, you darn near don’t have to peddle with the amount of draft in front and behind you. If you look at your speed, you won’t believe how easy it feels to go 20-21 mph. As one fellow rider said last week, it’s the same feeling as going 15 on your own.

Yes, it’s true… your ego will be slightly bruised going up the big hill as the racers fly up and your lungs are wondering how they can function with 3% of their usual oxygen levels, but by the time you get to the designated rest stop in Potomac, nobody but you will give a crap that you arrived a few minutes after they did. And I can personally guarantee you won’t be the last to arrive.

There are a few rollers on the second half of the ride that will test you, especially when the gang who didn’t go for the long ride decide to do a sprint or two. But they wait up at a couple of spots for the
less svelte riders to regroup. (Thanks Seth!) And when you hit the park, with about thirty minutes to go, the pace backs off a hair and your burning quads will have no problem getting you through to the
end.

Yes, you’ll definitely feel a bit tired, but you’ll also feel a great sense of accomplishment that you rode with the big dogs. So if you haven’t given it a shot, I highly recommend you give the BikeRackDC a
try.

Shameless plug here: I had a problem I couldn’t fix on my bike and Wayne suggested I bring in the bike to the shop this week. The guys (Thanks Kevin) not only took care of the problem, but did so as I waited and charged very little for the quick repair. Such a great thing to have a shop in the district that’s disguised as a shop you’d find in a small town in Anywhere, USA!

Hope to see some of you lurkers out there in the coming Sundays.